Introducing People to Jesus

Sermon Notes – Sept 29, 2019 Introducing People to Jesus Sermon Series: Marching Orders - #3 John 1:40-42a Rev. L. Kent Blanton Review • The past two weeks we explored the question, “What’s our purpose as humans?” • The Scriptures teach that our most intrinsic purpose, our chief end, is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. • To glorify God means to feel, think, and act in ways that reflect his greatness, that make much of God, that give evidence of the supreme greatness of his attributes and the all-satisfying beauty of his manifold perfections. John Piper • We should glorify God for at least two reasons: • He is so utterly glorious. He is the absolute pinnacle of perfection, holiness, greatness, transcendence, importance, goodness, wisdom, beauty, love, and anything else you or I could think of that is true and right (Rev 4:11; 5:13). God is. (Ex 3:14) And all of God’s “is-ness” deserves and demands being glorified. • Because Jesus, God’s Son, glorified, and continues to glorify, God in everything (John 12:27-28; 17:1, 5). The driving passion of Jesus’ life was, and is, to glorify God. • God’s desire for glory does not mean he’s on a big ego trip. To create us to give glory to him is the most authentic and loving thing he could do for us. In designing us to glorify him, God has seen fit to make possible our highest joy and fulfillment. Why? Because joy cannot be consummated without praise. Our enjoyment of God can only be fulfilled in fullest measure when we praise him, when we glorify him. • Today and in the Sundays ahead, we will address the question, “How do I bring glory to God?” Scripture reveals many possible responses and we will explore some of them. • We will use our HBC Mission and Vision statements as a framework for our exploration. These statements attempt to succinctly capture our marching orders as God’s people in this place. Mission and vision statements tell us what we should be doing. They tell us what is of utmost importance. • The first phrase in our two-part HBC mission statement asserts that our mission is to introduce people to Jesus. Why Introduce People to Jesus? • Because Jesus is the perfect picture of God • None of us can glorify or praise what we don’t know or what we haven’t experienced. • How do we see God? How do we know what he is like? The answer is that in Jesus we see God. Jesus shows us what God is like. (Heb 1:2-3; John 14:7-9) • The only hope for unbelievers to come to know God is being introduced to Jesus. When we encounter Jesus, we see God as he truly is. (Heb 1:2-3; John 14:7-9). Seeing God for who he is one of the first necessary steps in fulfilling our purpose of glorifying God and enjoying him forever. • Jesus provides the only possible access to God (John 14:6) • Doing good deeds, being an ethical person, going to church, giving to charity, following some religious system or moral code . . . none of these activities provides access to a holy God (Gal 2:16; Eph 2:8-9). • Jesus claimed to be THE Way, THE truth, and THE Life, the only way to God the Father (John 14:6). His claim was supported by his resurrection from the dead, a miraculous feat performed by no other religious leader in history. • Apart from Jesus Christ, we are separated from God by our sin, our wrong attitudes and actions, now and for all eternity (Rom 6:23; Eph 2:6). Without being introduced to Jesus, we and those around us - our family members, friends, work associates, fellow students, and neighbours - won’t be able to fulfill their purpose, won’t experience the relationship that God desires with them, and will experience separation from God forever. A Study of Jesus’ Disciple, Andrew • Andrew is a “poster boy” for our HBC Mission Statement and our Marching Orders sermon series. • Facts about Andrew: • He was the brother of Simon Peter (Matt 10:2; John 6:8) • He was from Bethsaida, a fishing village on the north coast of the Sea of Galilee (John 1:44) • He lived in Capernaum in the same house with his brother, Simon Peter (Mark 1:21, 29) • Andrew and his brother Simon Peter were fisherman by trade (Mark 1:16) • He was a disciple of John the Baptist (John 1:35, 40) • He heard John the Baptist announce that Jesus was the promised Messiah (John 1:36-37) • Andrew was the first of the 12 Apostles to meet Jesus (John 1:40; Mark 3:13-18) • Most significantly, Andrew was called by Jesus to follow him and responded affirmatively (Mark 1:16-18) • Lessons to be learned from Andrew 1. Andrew was taught to introduce people to Jesus • John the Baptist prepared Andrew to meet Jesus (John 1:15, 23, 26-27) through his teaching. John also introduced Andrew to Jesus (John 1:35-37). • Andrew was taught to introduce people to Jesus by Jesus himself (Matt 4:18-19). Jesus also taught Andrew that the gospel must be preached to all nations (Mark 13:1-4, 10). 2. Andrew introduced people to Jesus • Andrew found Simon and told him he had found the Messiah. He brought Simon to Jesus! (John 1:40-42a) • Andrew brought a boy with five loaves and two fish to Jesus when the physical needs of the crowds were recognized (John 6:5-11). Andrew introduced the boy to Jesus (John 6:9). • Andrew sought to bring some Greeks to Jesus who wanted to meet him. (John 12:20-22) 3. Andrew kept introducing people to Jesus • Church tradition reveals that Andrew took the gospel north as far as Scythia or modern-day Ukraine. • At some point he took the gospel Achaia in southern Greece. It was there he was martyred for his faith • Tradition says Andrew was crucified on an x-shaped cross, because he felt himself unworthy to be crucified in the same position as his Lord. Instead of being nailed to the cross, he was bound to it to increase his suffering. Most accounts indicate he hung on the cross for two days and for as long as he was conscious, exhorted passers-by to turn to Christ and be saved. • Andrew introduced people to Jesus until the very end. What Does it Mean to Introduce People to Jesus? • To tell people directly about the Lord Jesus or to take them to others who will tell them about Jesus. • God has commissioned you and me to introduce others to Jesus as a part of making disciples (Matt 28:18-20; Act 1:8; Rom 10:14) • Introducing people to Jesus is a significant component of your and my marching orders. It is one of the ways we glorify God. Why Do We Struggle or Fail to Introduce Others to Jesus? • We have not met Jesus ourselves and chosen to follow. Without meeting and choosing to following Jesus, we can’t introduce him to others. • We don’t have relationships (or many relationships) with people who don’t know Jesus • Andrew first went to a close friend (his brother Simon) to introduce him to Jesus • The most productive time of introducing others to Jesus for many Christians is the first two years after they become a Christ-follower. One reason because this is the period of time in which they have the most vital connection with non-believers. After the first two years, most new believers spend more and more time with Christians. They cultivate friendships with other believers. The pool of people they associate with who don’t know Christ shrinks. • How can we overcome this tendency? • We intentionally cultivate relationship with non-believers. We take interest in others who don’t yet know Christ by including them in our daily/weekly activities. • We love and serve others and meet the needs we see around us. (Luke 10:25-37; Gal 6:10) • Jesus provides a model for us in this regard. He spent time with his followers, but he also spent time and engaged in meaningful relationship with those who were not following him, who were not religious, and who were not even moral (Matt 9:10-11). • While Jesus never condoned sin, he was dubbed a “friend of sinners” (Matt 11:19) by the Jewish religious leaders because he spent time associating with those who didn’t live up to God’s moral standards. • Why did Jesus spend time with non-believers? “It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick.  Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matt 9:12-13 CSB) • Jesus told the Pharisees that the reason he built relationships with sinners was because they were sick and needed a physician. The people whom we rub shoulders with each day are also sick. God wants to use us to demonstrate his mercy and to tell them about the physician who can cure them. We can only do that to the extent that, like Jesus, we know and interact with them. • As we intentionally build meaningful relationships with those who don’t know Christ, God will open doors to share our spiritual story and grant us natural opportunities to introduce them to Jesus. • We feel inadequate due to a lack of training • Andrew learned to introduce others to Jesus from the example of John the Baptist (John 1:15, 23, 26-27, 35-37) and the equipping provided by Jesus (Matt 4:18-19). • Church leaders have sometimes failed to ensure their congregations receive practical instruction and encouragement in introducing others to Jesus • Our plan is to not allow this to be true at HBC, but to be intentional in providing meaningful training opportunities and tools. • The Spiritual Conversations Seminar facilitated by Andrew and Steph Williamson on Oct. 5 is just such a training opportunity. • Will you avail yourself of this equipping opportunity? • We lack courage • We fear being labelled with derogatory terms like “preacher man or lady,” “religious fanatic,” or “narrow-minded bigot” • Introducing people to Jesus always involves risk: rejection, ridicule, being ostracized. We may be lumped into the same barrel as some Christians whose methodology of introducing people to Jesus can be obnoxious. • How do we overcome these fears? • We remember God’s love for us and pray for a deeper revelation of that love (Eph h3:16-19). Neither guilt nor sense of duty are effective motivators. The strongest motivating force in the world is love. The more that you and I experience the love of God, the more we will be compelled to extend that love to others by introducing them to Jesus. • We can also overcome fear by receiving by faith the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. If you have chosen to follow Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit lives within you. One of his roles is to empower you and me to introduce others to Jesus (Acts 1:8). We must acknowledge and, by faith, receive and walk in that empowerment (Eph 5:18). • Personal example from senior pastor of lacking and finding courage to introduce others to Jesus • We feel inadequate due to disobedience • When I walk in disobedience to Christ, I feel far from him. I feel spiritually weak and inadequate. That sense of inadequacy acts as a wet blanket over the fire of passion Jesus is igniting within me to introduce others to him. • The answer is not to convince myself that I am adequate. The answer is to deal with whatever is standing between me and Jesus. There is only one way to deal with spiritual laziness, unforgiveness, pride, lust, greed, prayerlessness, gossip, alcoholism, anger, or any other sin in our lives. • We must choose to come clean, to confess it to God and repent. To repent means to turn. If we do, we receive cleansing from God and freedom that breaks our bondage (Ps 32:5) • If the reason you are not introducing others to Jesus is because of disobedience, Jesus calls to you today to believe the good news that he died to set you free and to turn from your sin. • You may need to confess your disobedience to another mature believer to experience the freedom that Jesus offers (James 5:16). If so, any of our pastors and elders, your small group leader, or our prayer team members who will be here at the front at the end of our service stand ready to listen and pray with you. Will you choose to humble yourself today and receive the forgiveness, cleansing and freedom your Heavenly Father is offering? Summary & Challenge • God has designed you to glorify him and enjoy him forever. One of the ways God wants you to glorify him is by following the example of Jesus’ disciple, Andrew. Andrew introduced and kept introducing others to Jesus. • Are you glorifying God by introducing others to Jesus? Or, are you allowing some hindrance to keep you from fulfilling your marching orders? If so, Jesus calls you to submit to him, to allow him to set you free, and to empower you by his Spirit to do that for which you were created. How will you respond?